Great Reports!!!

Mommy went to Jack and Elijah's school today to have conferences with each of their teachers. First I met with Mrs. Gray, Elijah's Kindergarten teacher. She had nothing but absolutely beautiful things to say about our dear Eli. She told me that he never needs to be reminded of the rules...apparently he takes rules at school very seriously! She also said that he is a very kind friend, respectful, obedient and just an all around wonderful student to have in class. She actually said that he was a blessing to her, and a great role model for the rest of his class. I had to keep my emotions in check as I listened to this wonderful teacher praise my son the way she was. Of course she talked about his progress academically, which was great just as I knew it would be. But, that was not nearly as important to me than to hear that he was letting his little light shine during his time at school. Parents try and pray so hard that their children will let God's love shine through their actions, and this was proof that Elijah does just that!! I love Elijah so and am blessed to have him in my life!

Next, I went into the 2nd grade classroom to meet with Mrs. Strohschein, Jack's teacher. She was also his Kindergarten teacher, so it's nice to be able to hear how he has grown over the years. She, too, had nothing but praise for my dear Jack. She said that he is kind to everyone in his class, always says "please", "thank you", "excuse me", I think you get the point. This is so typical of our Jack. Even at home, he is so quick with his apologizes and requests for forgiveness. He is the first to say "I love you" to EVERYONE! God truly gave Jack a heart for others, very sensitive and empathetic!
She went on to say that he has lots of energy (which nobody has to tell me!) but that he is not distracting at all. She said he knows how to sit and listen, and then use all that energy during recess and gym. At gym, apparently his athletic abilities are quite something. She asked me if he has always been so flexible. I told her that he had been in gymnastics for the past two years, that seemed to clear up some lingering questions in her mind.
Of course, Mrs. S. told me that Jack is very intelligent and very neat and thorough in all of his work. She loves having him in class and told me that I should be very proud of him. I am so very proud of him, he is a special little boy. I thank God every night for him, and tell Jack that God picked him to be our first for a special reason...because he is so good at taking care of others!!






Then, later on in the evening as a special treat, Michael took the kids outside sledding in the DARK! He has never done this with them before, and they had a blast. Apparently they didn't even need sleds, just went straight done on their tushies!! I had to make them come in for hot chocolate and bed. Usually Ava is knocking on the door after just a few minutes, but not tonight. I asked her how much fun she had, and her response was "I had a hundred funs Mamma!" And of course, the boys typical response after a fun day was "it was the best night ever!"

Finally...it's my turn!

Little Miss Tessa was treated to her very first "spoon licking!" Daddy and all the older kids had gone outside to see who could get hurt first on the monster jumps he had previously created! Tessa and Mommy stayed in to prepare supper. I had decided to make an apple snicker salad as a treat for the kids tonight. Well, usually the older ones get to lick the spoon when Mamma is all done stirring up the goodies. However, tonight, since they were all outside, I decided to let Tessa have a try. Oh...my...goodness...did she just LOVE it!! I think she almost went into a state of shock that all of that sweet goodness was all hers!! At one point, she just started spreading the coolwhip/pudding mixture on her face like lotion. It was one of the funniest things I had seen in quite a while. But, now I must be prepared for her insisting to partake in the "spoon licking" everytime we bake....what have I done?!

A Big Day for Jack!!

Tonight was pretty exciting for Jack at gymnastics. His coaches officially moved him up to the advanced class. It was something to see him with all of those BIG boys...seriously! He is younger and smaller than the rest of the boys in his class now, but he can certainly hold his own. I was so proud of him. Although, he just had to give me one look and I knew that he was petrified and about to start crying at the thought of being in this new group. I knew exactly what he wanted and needed from his Mommy right then...prayer. I bowed my head and prayed that God would grant him confidence and courage to participate with the big boys..also that he would let Jack feel his presence. Well, he quickly got his groove back and started flipping around like he always does. When class was over he told me what I already knew, that he was so scared to move up a level and felt like crying. I told him that I had prayed for him and his response was, "I know Mommy, I could feel it and I calmed down right away." I tell ya, there is something special in the heart of that dear little boy of mine....I love him so!!

Daddy..what have you done???

Well...the kids definitely got their fill of outside activities this weekend. Mom and Dad were anxious to get them outside for some fresh air. Michael was eager to join in the fun, little did I know that this would include building the boys a HUGE snowboarding jump. He must be quite determined to make my anxiety level shoot through the roof. Seriously though, he spent most of the afternoon outside with the boys on Saturday perfecting a launching pad at the top of the hill, then a monster jump at the bottom. I don't know if you can see clearly in the pictures, but Jack is getting some serious air. I have to admit, he looks like he knows what he's doing, a pretty good little snowboarder if I do say so myself. Elijah joined him going down the hill, but we couldn't get a good shot of him on the jump. I'm sure this will result in many tears, and cups of hot chocolate. Oh well, they're only kids once...right? Right!

Ava..you did it!

Mommy and Ava have started working on writing her name. She didn't have much interest until now, so I didn't push it! It didn't take her long to figure out (she does have a pretty easy name to spell). She was so proud of her accomplishment, so was Mommy. It's a big deal when they start writing...next comes reading...then Mommy and Daddy can't spell out secret words in front of them anymore, we're in BIG trouble!!

Little Chef Tessa

I just had to add this picture to the blog. I think it is simply precious! Tessa thought she was so cute the other day walking around in Ava's little chef's hat. She was really hammin' it up for the camera too. Sometimes I forget that she's already 1 and 1/2. I still think of her as my little baby.

The Grabinski Coop!!

Well, today marked the second day in a row that all of the children were completely cooped up in the house. Although it has been quite some time that they have been able to go outside and play for any extended period of time. I have to admit that it is getting difficult keeping them entertained and out of trouble. We all love each other more than anything (except God), but everyone starts to get on each others nerves after being together for so long. The Peterson children were here yesterday and today as well, so that did help some. Yesterday, when the little ones went down for a nap, we baked some oatmeal butterscotch cookies. They were yummy!! Then they sat down to watch Wall-E. Today they spent much of their morning playing in the playroom. Elijah and Jack got their cameras out and documented everything! Even when it was time to clean up, they came up with photos to prove how neat it was. I was quite impressed. Then it was FINALLY time to turn on the Wii. I never thought that I would be a fan of video games, but I don't mind this one at all. Actually, it is quite fun. Claire and Charlie brought over their remotes so everyone could play at the same time. It was quite the sight, all four of them swinging their arms about...I can't believe nobody got smacked in the face.
Well, right now they are upstairs playing monster with Tessa. Apparently if anyone else touches her it causes them to wilt. Poor little baby, she justs runs along laughing...little does she know:) I am downstairs updating the blog, because frankly, I needed a break from all the noise!!!
The weather report says tomorrow is going to be much warmer...I pray. We all need to get some fresh air!!

The Scavenger Hunt

Michael and I (I!) have been trying ways to keep this cold snap of winter interesting for the little ones. Last night we thought it would be fun for them to wake up to a scavenger hunt. I went to Target last night and got each of the three older ones a small gift from the dollar section at Target (I love this!) Michael was then in charge of coming up with clues and hiding them all over the house for each of the children. I think he had just as much fun doing this as the kids did finding them! We placed their first clue in an envelope and taped them to the front door to make sure they saw them first thing (of course none of them did!) So, anyway, Michael and I had to tell them that there was something for them at the front door. They were a little bit confused at first...they didn't know what to do with them. Ava was so cute, she can recognize her name so she said "I found my name right here on the bottom of the stack, what a special treat!" I guess she is pretty easy to please if that's all it takes, to tape her name on the door!! Well, Jack was the only one who could read his on clues, so he was off. Mommy stayed back and helped Elijah and Ava. Finally, Ava was lead to the dryer (the place Mommy places clean, wet clothes) and found new pink monkey socks and a bracelet. Elijah found his batman tattoos and pens under the couch (the place where we sit to eat popcorn on movie night). And Jack finally found his card game in the cupboard (the place Mommy goes if she needs to cook on the stove). They all thought that it was so much fun! They want to do it every morning....I don't know about that, but once in a while won't hurt I guess!


Later on in the afternoon we took them all to Riverside Park for some sledding and snowboarding. Poor Eli, his snowboard kept falling off his feet and heading down the hill without him.He got sick and tired of chasing it so he decided to skip the snowboarding, and sled instead (good choice I think). Jack did so great on his snowboard, even landing a few jumps...in spite of his Mother's pleading and begging. I swear I am going to be entirely gray by the time these boys grow up and move out. At one point Jack told me I should just close my eyes, then I don't have to watch him fall. I think next time I'll just stay home with Tessa and let Daddy watch the daredevils (since they are products of his example)!!

Back to School!

Well, this morning was a sad one at the Grabinski house. All three of our boys were off to school once again (Jack, Elijah and Daddy)! I can say in all honesty that Daddy was the only one excited about the whole thing. He is ready to get back into the swing of things after a two week break. On the other hand, Jack and Elijah were less than thrilled at the prospect of getting out of bed before the sun rises, this is especially true for our dear Elijah. By the time I finally coaxed him from under his covers, he found his way downstairs to the couch. This is where he laid until I made him get dressed and brush his teeth. He refused to eat breakfast and made it quite clear that he was not happy about having to get going so early! Jack doesn't mind getting out of bed as much, he usually is the first one up at our house. However, he does mind leaving his Mommy for the whole day. Although he is now in second grade, he still has a hard time leaving everyday. You could ask Uncle Brett about this! He give the boys a ride to school and must watch Jack return to the house at least twice to get another kiss and hug before he will get in the truck for school. This is heartwarming and heartbreaking all at the same time. Last night he brought up home-schooling again. He has been asking me to home school him since he started Kindergarten. I promised him that we would pray about it and if we feel that is the answer, then maybe, just maybe, we would do it next year.
And then there is our precious Ava, who begs to go to school with the boys every morning. She is just little miss social and doesn't want to miss out on any fun! Now Mommy is left in a quiet house.... or should I say quieter house!

New Year's Eve

So we hung out at home this year for the New Year. Tessa was a bit under the weather and we didn't want to expose anyone to all of our germs. Yuck!! We had a nice dinner together as a family, then we headed downstairs for a campout!! Michael rented Star Wars for the kids and they snacked on grapes (trying to keep it healthy!) Elijah is the only one that made it past New Year's...everyone else was out way before then!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook